Postage meters or franking devices have been in widespread use for many years. Such meters have traditionally been provided as a dedicated apparatus or “closed” system imprinting a postage indicium on postal items. U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,946 shows one example of a closed metering system.
In more recent years, the concept of an “open” metering system has been developed which utilizes a general purpose processor-based system, such as a personal computer system, operable under control of an instruction set defining operation as a postage metering apparatus. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,606,507 and 6,385,731, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, show examples of open metering systems.
Closed metering systems have generally been relatively easy to operate, requiring only that the user insert a mail piece or label, set a desired amount of postage, and activate the printing mechanism to obtain a postage meter stamp. However, closed metering systems suffer from an inability to perform additional functions, not being flexible with respect to a user's changing needs or accommodating upgrades as new technologies develop, and being limited in the size and what can be printed as or with the postage meter stamp.
For example, even the more modern closed metering systems which print information based postage indicia provide a print area limited to a single corner of an envelope or other media. Specifically, such closed meter systems generally implement ink nozzle (often referred to as ink jet) print cartridge technology which provides for an approximately 0.5 inch print width. This ink cartridge is often mounted on a carriage which allows approximately 2 inches of movement along an X axis. The carriage itself is movable along a Y axis to accommodate two-pass printing by the ink cartridge to “stitch” together an image twice as wide as the ink cartridge print width (e.g., providing a print form factor of approximately 1 inch along the Y axis by approximately 2 inches along the X axis).
In contrast to closed metering systems, open metering systems utilize general purpose systems which may be used to perform many functions in addition to postage metering. Moreover, open metering systems may typically be upgraded to include new features and new technologies by a simple software upgrade and/or addition of peripheral components. Many open metering technologies, such as that provided by Stamps.com, Santa Monica, Calif., implement an Internet architecture, facilitating enhanced services such as address verification, online delivery notification, etcetera. Open metering systems have generally utilized general purpose printers, such as laser printers or ink nozzle (often referred to as ink jet) printers, and thus provide flexibility in the size and content of what is printed as or with the postage meter stamp.
Many closed meter users have been reluctant to adopt the open metering technology despite advantages in flexibility associated therewith. For example, a traditional closed meter user expects to simply input a postage amount and print a postage meter stamp without the need to interface with a general purpose computer and its attendant software etcetera. Because the printers used in open metering systems are often general purpose printers, a traditionally closed meter user may experience difficulty in properly orienting and inserting an envelope for printing. Moreover, the closed meter user typically applies a postage meter stamp to a completed mail item (e.g., an envelope stuffed with one or more documents) which cannot be accommodated by general purpose printers. However, many open meter users prefer the use of open metering technology in order to obtain benefits such as the ability to print various configurations of postage meter stamps, the ability to print information (e.g., addressor address, addressee address, message, advertising logo, etcetera) in association with postage meter stamps, and various value added services (e.g., address verification, online delivery confirmation, detailed account activity analysis and reporting, etcetera).